Abstract

On the occasion of the recent Italian translation of Dieter Grimm’s book (Sovranità: origine e futuro di un concetto chiave, Laterza, 2023) Souveränität: Herkunft und Zukunft eines Schlüsselbegriffs, first published in 2009, this article discusses the arguments advanced by the German jurist in his essay. The Author suggests that while Grimm provides a multifaceted and nuanced account of the history of the concept of sovereignty and its role as a prerequisite for modern constitutionalism and democracy, his exclusive focus on the legal relationship between states and international or transnational organizations, as well as on the European and North American historical examples, does not permit a fully comprehensive understanding of the contemporary transformations of sovereignty.